“Shit.” I had messed up. “I’m clean, Pix.”
“Me too.” She waited a beat. “I also have birth control. Not trying to trap you or anything. No worries.”
She hopped off the desk and righted her clothes.
“I’m not worried about that. I never said you would,” I blurted, somewhat angry she had the audacity to come to that conclusion.
“Your mind works that way. Darkest reality ready to present itself at any moment. So, I’m reassuring you.”
“That’s bullshit.” I grabbed my belt off the floor and pushed my dick back into my briefs. “Don’t pin that accusation on me.”
She shrugged and finger-brushed her colorful hair. “Okay, Jett.” She smoothed her hands down her outfit and sighed. “Thank you for the good day. I was convinced it would be terrible.”
My gut and heart clenched at her soft omission. “Looking forward to making a few more of your days the best you’ve ever had.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she swiftly threw back, but she was smiling.
“I would. I intend to. Get ready for me, Victory Blakely. I’m about to own you like I own my company.”
“Now that would be an experience, but I highly doubt it, Jett. You can only have one real lover, and that’s the company for you.”
I picked up the paperweight and tossed it up. We watched it spin in the air before I caught it. “I intend to prove your statement wrong.”
“I intend to enjoy watching you try.” With that, the woman, confident as hell in her exits, left me without a backward glance.
26
Vick
My world was shifting,morphing, and ramping up. I found myself enjoying the hell out of it too. I wanted to tempt fate and push destiny to the point where I could say I had lived even if death was closer for me than for others. I hoped every day it wouldn’t be, but I chose not to remind myself that it might.
I stashed the vitamins and pills far, far away in the back of a cupboard and opted to forget it all.
My mother’s number still popped up on my phone. She called more and more in the next few days, but I was dancing with the devil.
Jett Stonewood.
The day after our desk liaison, I dressed in a risqué, cobalt dress with a plunging neckline. The color reminded me of Jett’s eyes right before he took me. He took me that day too. Over and over again.
He came home with me that night and we escaped into our own reality together, far away from the world.
The next night, he tried to drag me to his place, but I wasn’t ready to invade his personal space. My eyes were already filled with stars, my mind with irrational hopes, and my core chanted his praises. I had him over and over again, and he worked me just like he said he would. I was overwhelmed with what I felt was love, and he took care of me as assiduously as he did his company. Quite possibly the most ruthless businessman in the world, he didn’t disappoint me.
Our Friday at the office proved to be less than productive work wise. I revised a response to the FDA that Bob had written up for Levvetor. One ingredient wasn’t meeting the FDA’s standards, and Levvetor’s competitors were roaring from behind the FDA’s title. We needed to focus.
“Thanksgiving is only a week away. I mentioned to my family that you might join us for dinner. And what about your family, Vicky? We should give things another try,” Steven whined from his side of our corner. The man had tried to make up for his stupid actions.
I didn’t look up from my computer. “Vick, Steven. Vick.”
He nodded. “Fine. What do you say?”
“Honestly, I’m not worried about the holiday right now, Steven. The CEO of Levvetor will be meeting with us in a couple days and we haven’t resolved things with the FDA.”
“Leave that to the chemists. They can figure out an alternative.”
My teeth ground together, holding in my response. Maybe I couldn’t work this closely with him. I thought we were friends, that we could move on from the train wreck that was the beginning of our relationship, but I found him more and more aggravating.
“If the chemists could find an alternative, they would have.”